Storm Pulasan closest to Taiwan Thursday; days of wet weather forecast

Taipei, Sept. 18 (CNA) Tropical Storm Pulasan is forecast to be closest to Taiwan Thursday, when it moves across waters off the northern part of the island, before making landfall in China, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Liu Yu-chih (劉宇其) told CNA Wednesday.

Pulasan was located 740 kilometers east of Taiwan as of 8 p.m. Wednesday, and forecast to track in a northwesterly direction at a speed of 42 kilometers per hour over the following 12 hours, according to the CWA data.

A heavy rain alert was issued, warning of rainfall in excess of 40 millimeters in one hour or accumulated rainfall of over 80 millimeters in 24 hours, in Keelung, Greater Taipei, Taoyuan, and Hsinchu through Wednesday night.

On Thursday, northern Taiwan and northeastern Taiwan are expected to see sporadic showers brought by the storm during the daytime, but other areas on the island are likely to have mostly clear or partly cloudy weather, the CWA forecaster said Wednesday afternoon.

Afternoon thunderstorms are forecast across Taiwan Thursday, while central and southern Taiwan could experience heavy rain, the forecaster said.

Southern and southeastern Taiwan are likely to see brief rain or thunderstorms from Thursday evening, and afternoon thunderstorms on Friday, according to the forecaster.

From Saturday to next Tuesday, the weather in Taiwan will remain unstable with higher chances of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms due to low pressure in the region, the forecaster said.

The CWA has observed two-meter high waves in northern coastal areas, eastern Taiwan, the Hengchun Peninsula and Matsu Islands, and warned of high tides in southwestern Taiwan and Penghu on Friday and Saturday.

Due to the effects of the meteorological tide, the CWA said people on the islands of Kinmen, Penghu and Matsu should be prepared for flooding caused by the hide tide.

The CWA is not expected to issue a typhoon-related alert, as Pulasan's maximum wind speed near its center was recorded at 72 kph at 8 p.m. Wednesday and not forecast to reach the 118 kpm required to be designated a typhoon over the following 24 hours, according to the forecaster.